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The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Titan Books #13
The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Star of India
Holmes and Watson find themselves caught up in a complex chess board of a problem, involving a clandestine love affair and the disappearance of a priceless sapphire.
Professor James Moriarty is back to tease and torment, leading the duo on a chase through the dark and dangerous back streets of London and beyond.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless creation returns in a new series of handsomely designed detective stories. The Further Adventures series encapsulates the most varied and thrilling cases of the worlds’ greatest detective.
Professor James Moriarty is back to tease and torment, leading the duo on a chase through the dark and dangerous back streets of London and beyond.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s timeless creation returns in a new series of handsomely designed detective stories. The Further Adventures series encapsulates the most varied and thrilling cases of the worlds’ greatest detective.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
C.E. Lawrence
14 books99 followersC.E. Lawrence aka Carole Bugge' is the byline of a New York-based suspense writer, performer, composer and prize-winning playwright and poet whose previous books have been praised as "lively. . ." (Publishers Weekly); "constantly absorbing. . ." (starred Kirkus Review); and "superbly crafted prose" (Boston Herald). Silent Screams, Silent Victim, Silent Kills, and recently released Silent Slaughter are the first four books in her Lee Campbell thriller series along with her short novella Silent Stalker available on Kindle.
Her other works have been published under the name of Carole Buggé.
Titan Press recently reissued her first Sherlock Holmes novel, The Star of India.
She has also been a featured guest on Canned Laughter and Coffee with Renee Bernard, Comedy Concepts with Nancy Lombardo, ITW Thriller Roundtable Online Forum, WBAI FM 99.5 in NYC "In the Moment" with Ibrahim Gonzalez & Ahmad Adali, and Cafe Ali, WUSB FM 90.1.
Most recently C.E. Lawrence was selected as one of 21 authors featured in the 2012 anthology edited by Lee Child, and published by Mystery Writers of America Presents, called Vengeance.
Her story The Vly has also be chosen for the 2013 anthology titled What Lies Inside published by Mystery Writers of America and edited by Brad Meltzer schedule for release in 2013.
C.E. Lawrence also teaches classes at NYU, and holds regular writers workshops, all while writing, lecturing and writing about the craft of writing. She most recently taught a crime writing class at the San Miguel Writers Conference held in the lovely historic town of San Miguel d'Allende, Mexico and she had a cover article titled The Moral of the Story published in the July 2012 Mystery Writers of America's National Newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 30, 2015
This book couldn’t be any more pedestrian if it was crossing The Strand in comfortable shoes whilst carrying shopping bags. To say the prose is prosaic is almost a compliment. There is nothing at all exciting about the prose, in fact it doesn’t even aim for excitement – its base level is ‘mundane’ and it hits it with painful persistence right the way through. But most disappointing is how simple it all is. You don’t need to be a genius consulting detective to recognise the bad guys here; I - simple old me - was able to do it with unerring accuracy each and every time. The concepts of ‘red herrings’ and ‘misdirection’ are utterly unfamiliar ones to this book.
So we have here a Sherlock Holmes novel which is flatly written and in no way exercises the mind, and surely that’s not really the point of a Sherlock Holmes novel, is it?
So we have here a Sherlock Holmes novel which is flatly written and in no way exercises the mind, and surely that’s not really the point of a Sherlock Holmes novel, is it?
January 1, 2015
I am not a Sherlockian or a Holmesian, having read the entire canon only once and a long time ago. That said, this is one great tale. It has all the elements of a Doyle story: deduction; the neurotic detective--who actually becomes introspective for once--the stalwart, if slightly dim, sidekick/biographer; the evil genius; the femme fatal; the Gordian knot of a problem; and the fate of the British Empire in the balance.
The plot moves quickly, and Bugge` fills the pages with great details of 19th century London. The dialogue is crisp, and I could not help but hear Basil Rathbone's voice coming out of Holmes's mouth--but that's probably just me.
I recommend this not just to those who love Holmes, but to anyone who enjoys mystery.
The plot moves quickly, and Bugge` fills the pages with great details of 19th century London. The dialogue is crisp, and I could not help but hear Basil Rathbone's voice coming out of Holmes's mouth--but that's probably just me.
I recommend this not just to those who love Holmes, but to anyone who enjoys mystery.
May 28, 2020
A seemingly chance encounter with a young woman in the Royal Albert Hall leads Holmes into a desperate battle of wits with his nemesis, Professor Moriarty.
In the main, a well written novel which engages the reader and remains faithful to the spirit of Sherlock Holmes.
In the main, a well written novel which engages the reader and remains faithful to the spirit of Sherlock Holmes.
May 9, 2017
October, 1894. Nothing of interest is stalking the streets of London and Sherlock Holmes is plagued by ennui so Doctor Watson, having noticed his friend ominously eyeballing his cocaine stash, suggests an evening jaunt to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Unfortunately for Watson, his enjoyment of the Saint-Saens third violin concerto is hampered by the exotically pungent perfume worn by the young lady seated in front of him. While Watson battles his allergies, Sherlock Holmes spots that there is something far more amiss than a surfeit of fragrance and, when the young lady fails to return to her seat after the interval, the game is well and truly afoot.
The following morning the mystery of the young lady is uncovered when Miss Violet Merriweather comes to call on the detective duo at 221B Baker Street. She had attended the concert the previous evening in order to pay off a blackmailer and, when the blackguard had failed to show, she left for home during the interval. Miss Merriweather reluctantly explains that she has been conducting a clandestine relationship with a certain young gentleman, a royal young gentleman no less, and that she is now being blackmailed. To complicate matters further, her beau has entrusted to her the Star of India, a priceless gem that was a gift of friendship from an Indian prince. Sherlock Holmes agrees to keep the Star of India safe and to help Miss Merriweather, and he and Watson are soon embroiled in dangerous shenanigans involving chess, parrots, perfume, cockney roughs and a certain recently resurrected arch-nemesis.
Carole Bugge’s The Star of India is one of an increasing number of Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to be released by Titan [this particular story actually having originally been published in the USA in 1998] and is a testament to the enduring popularity of the world’s greatest consulting detective. The Star of India is more than a simple pastiche though; it is a tribute to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle but it is also a new and interesting mystery in its own right. The story is maybe slightly less complex than those plotted by Conan Doyle himself, or perhaps it is just that Doctor Watson gets to be present for more of the excitement and investigation than usual and so doesn’t have to rely so much on lengthy exposition by Holmes at the close of the case, but the disappearance of the jewel and the various intrigues that accompany it are certainly attention grabbing.
With The Star of India Bugge has done a good job of capturing the tone and mood of the original Holmes stories and her dialogue certainly rings true for both the characters and the period. As to the detail of the characters themselves, Holmes is, as ever, seemingly always a step or two ahead of the villains and he is actually quite the man of action in this book. Although his intellect is as sharp as ever, this Holmes is perhaps portrayed as being more emotional than Conan Doyle originally intended in that he deliberately avoids embarrassing Lestrade on a couple of occasions and also seems quite emotionally invested in the plight of London’s street children [Bugge uses the Baker Street Irregulars and feisty urchin Jenny to illustrate the great disparities that existed in society]. Doctor Watson is just as romantic as ever but he is certainly no fool and, of course, provides invaluable assistance to Holmes as well as narrating the story for us.
The Star of India is an interesting addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon; a quick though satisfying mystery, it should please fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories eager for more outings [with a relatively authentic feel] for the great detective.
The following morning the mystery of the young lady is uncovered when Miss Violet Merriweather comes to call on the detective duo at 221B Baker Street. She had attended the concert the previous evening in order to pay off a blackmailer and, when the blackguard had failed to show, she left for home during the interval. Miss Merriweather reluctantly explains that she has been conducting a clandestine relationship with a certain young gentleman, a royal young gentleman no less, and that she is now being blackmailed. To complicate matters further, her beau has entrusted to her the Star of India, a priceless gem that was a gift of friendship from an Indian prince. Sherlock Holmes agrees to keep the Star of India safe and to help Miss Merriweather, and he and Watson are soon embroiled in dangerous shenanigans involving chess, parrots, perfume, cockney roughs and a certain recently resurrected arch-nemesis.
Carole Bugge’s The Star of India is one of an increasing number of Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to be released by Titan [this particular story actually having originally been published in the USA in 1998] and is a testament to the enduring popularity of the world’s greatest consulting detective. The Star of India is more than a simple pastiche though; it is a tribute to the works of Arthur Conan Doyle but it is also a new and interesting mystery in its own right. The story is maybe slightly less complex than those plotted by Conan Doyle himself, or perhaps it is just that Doctor Watson gets to be present for more of the excitement and investigation than usual and so doesn’t have to rely so much on lengthy exposition by Holmes at the close of the case, but the disappearance of the jewel and the various intrigues that accompany it are certainly attention grabbing.
With The Star of India Bugge has done a good job of capturing the tone and mood of the original Holmes stories and her dialogue certainly rings true for both the characters and the period. As to the detail of the characters themselves, Holmes is, as ever, seemingly always a step or two ahead of the villains and he is actually quite the man of action in this book. Although his intellect is as sharp as ever, this Holmes is perhaps portrayed as being more emotional than Conan Doyle originally intended in that he deliberately avoids embarrassing Lestrade on a couple of occasions and also seems quite emotionally invested in the plight of London’s street children [Bugge uses the Baker Street Irregulars and feisty urchin Jenny to illustrate the great disparities that existed in society]. Doctor Watson is just as romantic as ever but he is certainly no fool and, of course, provides invaluable assistance to Holmes as well as narrating the story for us.
The Star of India is an interesting addition to the Sherlock Holmes canon; a quick though satisfying mystery, it should please fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories eager for more outings [with a relatively authentic feel] for the great detective.
February 12, 2008
Once again, Sherlock Holmes has sunk into a deep ennui. Evidently there is no crime in England at this time, or at least, none which appeals to his crime-solving genius. Home alone, with Mrs. Hudson visiting her sister in Cornwall, the novel opens with a visit from Dr. John Watson, with an invitation to attend a musical concert. Et voila! A mystery begins as Holmes and Watson take their seats. It seems that a young lady with a very distinct perfume captures their attention (in fact, Watson is almost nauseous with the scent); she fails to turn up during the second act. However, she is soon back within the sights of Holmes & Watson as she comes to retrieve a pair of gloves left at the theater which Holmes has in his possession. Also in her possession: the fabled Star of India, and after hearing the story about how she came to have this famous and beautiful jewel Holmes realizes that his evil nemesis, Professor Moriarty, has returned from Reichenbach Falls where it was believed that he had died. But Holmes knows better. As soon as he makes this determination, it seems that things begin to happen in very quick succession, and as the story progresses, Holmes and Watson become aware of a sinister plot against the English throne. Once more, it's up to Holmes and Watson to save the day.
So that's the basic outline of the story. As much as I love the various Sherlock Holmes pastiches (and there are a LOT of them out there), I was unhappy with the "deus ex machina" that the author devised to pull him out of a very sticky situation. I won't tell you what it was, but suffice it to say, it was just too pat. Also, I couldn't believe that Sherlock Holmes, with all of his genius, could not figure out one part of the mystery. I mean, I figured it out early on and I'm not Sherlock Holmes! I think the author should have realized that if a reader can figure it out, she needed to make Holmes just a wee bit quicker on the uptake.
Overall, it was an incredibly quick read and a fun one. I LOVE Mycroft Holmes (he's always been my favorite character) and I did enjoy the author's portrayal of him. If you want something for pure escape fun, this is it.
I would recommend it to people who read Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and who aren't terribly worried about them measuring up to the original product. I have another pastiche by this author which I'll be reading here in the near future.
So that's the basic outline of the story. As much as I love the various Sherlock Holmes pastiches (and there are a LOT of them out there), I was unhappy with the "deus ex machina" that the author devised to pull him out of a very sticky situation. I won't tell you what it was, but suffice it to say, it was just too pat. Also, I couldn't believe that Sherlock Holmes, with all of his genius, could not figure out one part of the mystery. I mean, I figured it out early on and I'm not Sherlock Holmes! I think the author should have realized that if a reader can figure it out, she needed to make Holmes just a wee bit quicker on the uptake.
Overall, it was an incredibly quick read and a fun one. I LOVE Mycroft Holmes (he's always been my favorite character) and I did enjoy the author's portrayal of him. If you want something for pure escape fun, this is it.
I would recommend it to people who read Sherlock Holmes pastiches, and who aren't terribly worried about them measuring up to the original product. I have another pastiche by this author which I'll be reading here in the near future.
April 25, 2013
Awful not a patch on Sir Arthur's books. Should have left well alone!
October 29, 2017
I hate myself a little after reading this book, because over the past year or so I’ve checked it out on 3 or 4 separate occasions, and just now got around to reading it.
And it was amazing—everything I love about a Sherlock Holmes story. A solid mystery, brimming suspense, a gripping showdown with arch-nemesis Moriarty, and of course the oh so glorious bromance (!).
I loved everything about this pastiche, and hate that I put it off for so long.
And it was amazing—everything I love about a Sherlock Holmes story. A solid mystery, brimming suspense, a gripping showdown with arch-nemesis Moriarty, and of course the oh so glorious bromance (!).
I loved everything about this pastiche, and hate that I put it off for so long.
April 9, 2018
Sherlock and Watson face a problem involving Myrcroft and British empire, an old enemy who reappeared, a beautiful woman with a outstanding gem, and a chess game. The writing is crisp and fun and the story flows nicely. There is more analysis of Holmes and his personal idosyncracies in this one. Should be rated 3.5 but I really love SH.
June 11, 2017
A really silly plot but quite readable.
Want to read
January 19, 2020FAY-FA
March 14, 2020
4.5/10
October 26, 2020
Moriarty is Back! Despite it mentioning the Napoleon of crimes return this adventures fails to disappoint. clever plots and twists make this really enjoyable.
August 9, 2022
Honestly, John and Sherlock's relationship it's the everything to me. I could become obsessed :)
May 9, 2022
This was one of the better entries in the series. I enjoyed it.
December 23, 2012
An adequate, unremarkable imitation of a Sherlock Holmes novel. It's a decent effort - a nice inoffensive story that serves to pass the time - but the end result isn't up to the standards set by the original works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
This is the first Sherlock Holmes novel I've ever read where I was able to figure out the majority of the mystery long before Holmes did. I'd like to think it's because I am so much wiser as I enter into middle age than I ever was as a bright eyed youth devouring the adventures of Holmes and Dr. Watson... I'd like to think that but reality - in the form of a weak and predictable plot - prevents me from it.
This is the first Sherlock Holmes novel I've ever read where I was able to figure out the majority of the mystery long before Holmes did. I'd like to think it's because I am so much wiser as I enter into middle age than I ever was as a bright eyed youth devouring the adventures of Holmes and Dr. Watson... I'd like to think that but reality - in the form of a weak and predictable plot - prevents me from it.
March 7, 2015
I picked this book up thinking it was an original Arthur Conan Doyle. Alas, it is part of a new set of books with new Sherlock adventures in them.
I almost immediately realised my mistake as the writing style was all wrong, the characters see through and the plot was just plain awful.
I guess if you're desperate for a new Sherlock Holmes fix, then try this book, otherwise just stick to the old classics.
I almost immediately realised my mistake as the writing style was all wrong, the characters see through and the plot was just plain awful.
I guess if you're desperate for a new Sherlock Holmes fix, then try this book, otherwise just stick to the old classics.
July 11, 2015
Attention, Sherlockians: Don't miss this one! I have read many SH pastiches and this is one of the best. The "voices" of the main characters(except for a bit of profanity by Watson and one instance of Holmes asking a question of Lestrade he should and could have deduced the answer to)are excellent. Throw in extra time with Mrs. Hudson, Inspector Lestrade, that certain villain (?!) and the entertaining plot and you've got a winner here.
October 16, 2016
Holmes story
While not as good as another Holmes book of hers I read previously, it is still an enjoyable Holmes and Watson story. I did not like part where Holmes is telling all his feelings to Watson. I don't think this is how Sherlock Holmes sees himself. I can overlook all the references to reforms that should be made even though they seem to stand out as obviously added by the author.
While not as good as another Holmes book of hers I read previously, it is still an enjoyable Holmes and Watson story. I did not like part where Holmes is telling all his feelings to Watson. I don't think this is how Sherlock Holmes sees himself. I can overlook all the references to reforms that should be made even though they seem to stand out as obviously added by the author.
December 13, 2014
I'm really into Sherlock and all its various TV iterations including Elementary.
So it only seemed natural to explore some current Sherlockian tales.
This one had everything going for it including people pretending to be someone else, including Sherlock as usual. A rare gemstone with global impacts. Watson as usual.
And a big twist at the end.
Recommended
So it only seemed natural to explore some current Sherlockian tales.
This one had everything going for it including people pretending to be someone else, including Sherlock as usual. A rare gemstone with global impacts. Watson as usual.
And a big twist at the end.
Recommended
April 21, 2015
Part of the new adventures series. We have here the return of Moriarty to vex the recently returned Holmes. A good story and for the most part a good series by well known and some not so well known authors.
January 24, 2010
Sherlock Holmes is out of copyright, so Carole Bugge is continuing with the Holmes/Watson stories. I liked this first one.
September 14, 2012
This was a very entertaining book and one of the better Holmes' adaptations I have read.
May 22, 2016
Good book, but a bit of an obvious end I guess.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2014
Another great story in the Sherlock canon.
Full review to follow
Full review to follow
December 19, 2016
I had mixed feelings, but i'd say three and a half stars.
January 31, 2017
Loved the look into Holmes' self vision in this book.
A great tale to be sure.
A great tale to be sure.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews